Winter break can be a challenging time to entertain kids, as plenty of the activities our family enjoys during the summer are pretty much off-limits during the Milwaukee winter.

Fortunately, Winter Fest is back for a second season at the Delta Center, and after a visit on its opening day, I can report that it's received a nice upgrade.

It was fun last year, too, but it had a feeling of emptiness that's been filled this time with more rides and activities. Yet, because of the spaciousness in that gigantic exhibition hall, it rarely, if ever feels crowded. For parents like me, that's a good thing.

Our kindergartener was enthralled with the bouncy houses, guided train ride, human snow globe and the assorted activities that kept her entertained for several hours. She's a little too young to appreciate the roller rink, which is a big upgrade from last year's synthetic and messy ice skating rink.

The lighting is still a little dim, but with lots of snow decorations, and ice sculptures, there's a festive feel throughout.

Running Dec. 26-31, the event isn't inexpensive, although there are some opportunities for free entrance on its website. Tickets are $15 for children ages 3-17, $10 for adults and free for kids under 2. The nice part is that once you're in, everything is free, so you'll have to judge for yourself if you think it's worth it. I certainly do.

With a merry-go-round that goes seemingly forever, a movie screen, mini golf, a rock climbing wall and several carnival rides, Winter Fest is a cool winter break diversion for kids this week. I'm really glad it's back and getting better. I hope it becomes a Milwaukee December fixture for years to come.

Until yesterday, it had been a while since I visited the Milwaukee County Historical Society. But now that I work Downtown again, I'm pledging to come back more frequently.

You should, too.

I stopped in to check out an exhibit called "Milwaukee in Miniature," which is a collection of the dioramas of Ferdinand Aumueller. These scale models depict Milwaukee landmarks as they were in the early 1900s, and the accompanying photos shows the buildings then and now. It's a fascinating look of the artist's work that he started in 1967. The free exhibit runs through January.

But there's so much more, too.

Once upon a time, I used to check out the society's photo gallery and records library. I found immigration papers for my great-grandparents and photos of the building where my grandparents met.

Yesterday, I spent some time looking at a whimsical painting of 1840s Milwaukee and learned a thing or two about Lake Emily, a four-foot deep lake that apparently still exists under NML headquarters. I had no idea.

I like the the Historical Society because it's free and quiet and usually empty and gives you a chance to investigate on your own. The miniature exhibit, for example, is neat because it puts buildings I've seen in photos into colorful, three-dimensional models. For me, anyway, it adds to my understanding of "old Milwaukee" when I can visualize these landmarks in this way.

In 2013, I'll make a point to visit more often. Hope to see you there.

Think the world is ending on Friday? Then you're not going to miss the $5 you donate to your favorite charity on Thursday.

Joe Oakland, an old friend of mine, and his wife Candice came up with the Givepocalypse, a whimsical way to encourage people to give a little something extra this holiday season.

They're supporting the initiative entirely virally through Facebook, but I'll sum it up for you right here.

It's pretty easy, actually. On Dec. 20 (the Givepocalypse), give an extra $5 (or more, of course) to a charity you support and encourage your friends to do it, too.

Oakland hopes the informal campaign will raise $1,000 or more on Thursday, and your participation will certainly help.

Five dollars is pretty easy, my fellow Milwaukeeans. If the world does end, think of it as one your last good deed.

And if they world continues to fight another day, then you can sleep well on Friday knowing that you helped a charity in need.

I lust after just two modern cars: the Aston Martin D89 and the Jaguar XK Coupe. However, I accept that both vehicles are well outside my budget, and even if I could afford them, I'm not sure I'd spend my money to own either one.

This week, I spent some time with a third car that tugged at my heart strings, the new Jaguar XF. What's really paining me is that owning (or leasing, anyway) this car is not a completely unrealistic goal.

Our friends at Fields Jaguar saw me drooling over the XF when I visited the dealership to do a blog on the new Range Rover a few weeks ago, so they knew they didn't have to do much persuading to see if I'd like to borrow one to evaluate for a little while. And they were smart about it, because not only did they lend me one Jaguar, they sent me two: first, the "base" XF, then, a few days later, the supercharged, 340 horsepower V6 version.

If the four-cylinder Jag is a beautiful, spritely drive, the supercharged one is a masterpiece. Plain and simple, the fastest car I've ever driven. Its acceleration and handling left me downright shaky. Zero to 60 in 5.7 seconds is fast. Insanely fast.

Which is to take nothing away from the base model. Frankly, I was more impressed with the lines and aggressive styling of this car than its ergonomics and performance, which felt only slightly better than my previous all-time favorite car I've owned, a 2008 BMW 328xi coupe. I mean, this was certainly a nicer car through and through, but with an MSRP of a $46,975, I wouldn't call its rear-wheel drive 240 horsepower, 2.0 liter i4 engine a tremendous bargain.

It certainly turned heads, though, and from the outside, it looked as beautiful as my new dream car, the Jaguar XF 3.0.

It's a little hard to describe this car, but I actually, literally, felt like James Bond while driving the British Racing Green four-door coupe. When you fire up the ignition – a red pulsating button that beats like a heart – the air vents automatically retract and a round shifter …